Fr. Dwight Longenecker
4. Great Hymns are Great Literature and Great Music – When we sing good hymns we sing good literature. Some of the finest writers and poets in the English language have left poems that have been set to music: John Bunyan, Bl. John Henry Newman, G.K.Chesterton, John Wesley, Christina Rossetti, George Herbert, William Blake and Samuel Johnson. The great Anglican and Methodist hymns that have stood the test of time are great poetry in their own right.
Take this splendid anthem with words by George Herbert. The words are simple, profound and full of heart felt praise. When we sing this hymn we connect with the life and work of Herbert and take to heart the literature which we would only otherwise encounter in an English poetry anthology in college. Instead of such a dry academic setting the words come alive as they are set to music and sung. Furthermore, the learning is done in an unobtrusive way as part of Sunday worship.
The great hymns are sung to music by the finest composers: Samuel Sebastian Wesley, J.S.Bach, Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughn Williams, William Byrd and more. In the hymn I’ve posted here George Herbert’s words are lifted by Ralph Vaughn Williams’s stirring music.
Why does poetry matter? Because poetry ennobles the language. As the fine words and expressions are melded into our hearts and mind they transform the way we think and speak Furthermore, Catholicism is a faith that is founded on beauty, mystery and symbolism. In a harsh and utilitarian and scientific age poetry renews the mind and prepares the mind to think in a Catholic way. When we sing fine poetry in a good hymn we memorize the words and they stick with along with the memorable tune. This refreshes the mind and heart without us even knowing it.
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